What is the use of a fallen umbilical cord?

In the mother's womb, the baby absorbs nutrients from the mother's body through the umbilical cord, which is a close bond with the mother. The umbilical cord is also the only proof that the baby has been in the mother's belly, so many mothers will keep the umbilical cord that falls off the baby as a souvenir. Some people also say that the fallen umbilical cord can be ground into powder and used to make tea to treat diseases, but this has no medical basis. Umbilical cord blood can be stored in the hospital and will not cause rejection reactions when transplanted in the future.

Many people think that storing their child's umbilical cord blood is like buying a "major illness insurance" for their child. In fact, since the incidence rate of diseases such as leukemia is about 7 in 100,000, the chance of using this umbilical cord blood in the future is very small. Theoretically, the transfusion of preserved autologous umbilical cord blood stem cells can help patients rebuild their hematopoiesis and immune systems.

However, there are currently no such successful cases in the world. "There is still a lack of sufficient scientific certification and evidence to say that autologous umbilical cord blood can treat one's own diseases." At the same time, umbilical cord blood is generally collected in only 50 to 80 milliliters, and the number of stem cells in it is even smaller, so it is difficult to confirm whether it can be used for treatment in the future. "Umbilical cord blood can be used for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, treatment of leukemia, etc., and may even be used for tissue and organ repair and regeneration, and "does not require matching, has strong cell activity, no risk of immune rejection, and a high transplant survival rate." "After consulting relevant information, it is reasonable to carry out autologous preservation in China. Umbilical cord blood banks are divided into public banks and autologous banks. The public banks are voluntarily donated by pregnant women, which is convenient for all blood disease patients to query and match; the autologous banks are provided for personal storage and use, and once a disease occurs, it is guaranteed that they can find the "life-saving blood" that is perfectly suitable for them.

Since the bank began autologous cord blood preservation at the end of 2002, more and more young parents have chosen to preserve umbilical cord blood for their children. The doubts about the lack of autologous cord blood preservation in Europe, America, Japan and other countries are due to ethical considerations. Therefore, voluntary donation and public preservation are mainly advocated in terms of cord blood preservation. In China, the health department currently permits umbilical cord blood banks with a certain foundation in public bank construction to carry out autologous preservation business. As for the current high charges for autologous cord blood preservation, this is related to the high storage cost of umbilical cord blood. Because umbilical cord blood needs to go through multiple medical processes such as testing and separation to ensure that it does not contain viruses such as HIV and hepatitis B, after passing the test, it must be frozen in a deep-temperature liquid nitrogen at a constant humidity and temperature of minus 196 degrees Celsius. Currently, the library's fees remain at around 12,000 yuan, and the total installment payment amount is around 14,000 yuan.

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